New research on our perinial problem: Mockery vs Reasoned Debate

[AdamWho]

In this time of fake news, conspiracy theories and fact free bubbles, we need a way to fight back.

In the past we have often debated if reasoned arguments or mockery was the best tools to fight the irrational.

Here is some research from Frontiers in Psychology that will surprise no one... both work.

Changing Conspiracy Beliefs through Rationality and Ridiculing

 

[Perspicuo]

Laughing can work, arguments can work.

But laughing often comes across as abuse,
and arguments often come about as boring (to the hoi polloi at least).

Don´t get me wrong --I believe they should still be used.
But the best strategy is the use of the tactics of commercial advertising. Have you ever noticed how effective they are and entertaining (when not repeated ad nauseam as when we watched TV in the 1970s). There's the ticket right there. A medium that has captured the essence of commercial advertising is the internet "meme". The good ones are straight to the point and deliver a wallop in a single swing. Lamentably this cannot be exported to daily life much. What is required is precisely that... a way to deliver "left jab, right jab, boom" in the widest and encompassing array of media possible (including person-to-person).

 

[Will Wiley]

another stupid study that tells us what we already know. Dumb

 

[bilby]

Is that supposed to be perennial, or perineal?

Does the problem come back every year, or is it a problem that gives us a real pain in the ass (and surrounding surface tissues)?

Or both?

 

[Jimmy Higgins]

My sister was dragged into this shit by someone and it was nearly impossible to get any sense into her. The irony was I got into some "discussions" on Facebook with the person that was feeding her this crap and I was going with the reasoned approach, the other person the mockery approach against me, but that didn't appear to matter to her final opinion.

another stupid study that tells us what we already know. Dumb

You don't seem to understand what science is.

 

[iolo]

It seems to me that reasoned argument has ceased to be relevant to Western elections, which is why we are moving towards dictatorships fast.